News briefs: Next DeVos Medical Ethics Colloquy to focus on marijuana

Next DeVos Medical Ethics Colloquy to focus on marijuana

Experts in the field of substance abuse and addictive disorders will debate the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana for medical and non-medical use during the next DeVos Medical Ethics Colloquy.

An argument in favor of legalizing marijuana will be given by Kevin Hill, director of Substance Abuse Consultation Services for the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts. Representing the negative side of legalizing marijuana will be Yasmin Hurd, Ward-Coleman chair of translational neuroscience and director of the Center for Addictive Disorders at Mount Sinai Behavioral Health System in New York.

Titled, “Is America Going to Pot?,” the colloquy is a free event that will take place on March 14 at the L. William Seidman Center, located on the Pew Campus.

To RSVP, go to www.gvsu.edu/colloquy. A live webcast of the event can also be found at the same link.

For additional information, contact Diane Dykstra in the Office of the Vice Provost for Health at [email protected] or (616) 331-5876.

Campus recreation to hold auditions for group exercise instructor positions

Grand Valley State University recreation will hold auditions for a number of group exercise instructor positions on Dec. 11.

Students auditioning for a group exercise instructor position should have a passion for fitness and wellness as well as the ability to motivate large groups of people.

Audition day will go from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. inside the Kelly Family Sports Center. For additional information about the audition process, contact Amy Campbell, associate director of fitness and wellness, at [email protected] or (616) 331-3974.

Upcoming Science on Tap installment to feature GV history professor

The next installment of the Science on Tap series will feature a presentation by Craig Benjamin, professor of history at the Frederik Meijer Honors College, on the topic of big history.

Big history is a new and growing field of study that examines history all the way from the beginning of the earth up to present day. In his presentation, Benjamin will illustrate how big history incorporates both scientific and historical disciplines.

“Intro to Big History” will take place at 8 p.m. on Dec. 10 in the SpeakEZ Lounge, located at 600 Monroe Ave. NW in Grand Rapids.

For more information about Benjamin’s presentation, contact Cara Ocobock at [email protected], or visit the Science on Tap Grand Rapids Facebook page.

High school students invited to view projects made in GV Engineering College

Two hundred students from high schools in the Grand Rapids area are invited to interact with projects made by Grand Valley State University students during the annual GVSU Project Day on Dec. 10.

All 50 projects on display were created by GVSU students in engineering, computing and occupational safety and health management majors. Projects include a recycling machine as well as wrestling sumo robots, among others.

Project Day will take place from 10 a.m. to noon in the Kennedy Hall of Engineering and Keller Engineering Labs, located on the Pew Campus.

For additional information about Project Day, go to www.gvsu.edu/pcec.